The class of thermoplastic polymers is well known in the art, in part because of the useful characteristic of many of such materials of being heat deformable at relatively low temperatures. Such thermoplastics are processed by conventional methods such as extrusion, injection molding or thermoforming into films, sheets, fibers or molded articles of established utility. However, the low temperature deformation property that makes many thermoplastics useful often serves to preclude the application of such materials where higher temperatures are likely to be encountered. Moreover, continued exposure to elevated temperatures often results in thermal degradation of the thermoplastic.
Many thermoplastics are produced in a manner designed to provide a relatively high molecular weight so as to increase the melting point or softening temperature of the thermoplastic. An alternate approach to solving the problem of poor high temperature performance is through the use of polymers which incorporate cyclic or polycyclic structures within the molecular structure.
An increase in molecular weight to improve initial processing properties is illustrated by Bateman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,744, where hydantoin trisepoxides are reacted with binuclear hydantoins. A similar reaction employing hydantoin diepoxides is shown by Bateman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,608. The diglycidyl derivatives of hydantoins are further described by Seltzer et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,477 and references cited therein. Adducts of polyglycidyl hydantoins and organic compounds of more than one active hydrogen atom are shown by Schreiber et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,667. The active hydrogen compounds include amines, carboxylic acids and polyphenols, particularly commercially available polyphenols such as 2,2-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane, also referred to as bisphenol A or BPA. It would be of advantage, however, to provide other reaction products of polyhydric phenolic compounds and hydantoins which have relatively high glass transition temperatures and good properties.